Homeland alum and American Sniper co-star Navid Negahban, Syam M. Lafi of acclaimed HBO series The Night Of and Austin Purnell from 12 Years a Slave have signed on to star in The Golden Goose, a gritty, dreamlike short film set in present-day Queens, NY. The film is helmed by writer and director Asif Mian of 1stAveMachine – the production company of the film – and is currently undergoing a round of funding on Kickstarter.

Fueled by a narrative that blends alchemy and avarice, The Golden Goose centers on a Pakistani immigrant family in the NYC boroughs and its teenage protagonist, Gilad Ghibran (Lafi), whose blood just so happens to be hallucinogenic. The potent, mind-bending effect of Gilad’s vital fluid ultimately stokes the greedy desires of his uncle, Sadiq (Negahban), who seeks to harvest his nephew’s blood and convert it into pills to sell on the black market. “I feel like Gilad is like a celebrity or musician that becomes trapped by their own talent or beauty,” Mian explains. “Instead, Gilad is trapped by his own vitality – his unique blood – which is a dangerous thing for Sadiq to toy with.”

Loosely based on Aesop’s fable of greed, The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg, Mian’s The Golden Goose first came to fruition as a 30-page comic book collaboration between the director and illustrator Tory Sica that was unveiled and buzzed about at Comic Con 2015 before being transformed into a film. “I grew up with comics and working with Tory Sica, we wanted to stay true to making a real 30 page comic — not storyboards, or a ‘brochure’ for a film idea,” says Mian, who was actually penning his script for The Golden Goose film in parallel with the comic book. “I am an artist and filmmaker, so a cinematic vision is what I inherently create, and the comic came from that vision.”

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About 1stAveMachine:

1stAveMachine is a mixed media production company and storytelling outfit. They create video, digital, and experimental content for TV, print, web, and mobile, all with a unified singular vision. They have won numerous awards since their formation, including Gold, Silver, and Bronze Cannes Lions, AICP, One Show, and ANDY awards, and many others. Their work has been featured across the globe and during the Super Bowl, and their division 1stAve Content has been instrumental in pairing the perfect influencers and creators with agencies and brands.